


Struggling (It's Not Simple)

by AwayLaughing



Series: All The Days That Have Passed [21]
Category: Naruto
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drinking, Implied Relationships, M/M, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-05
Updated: 2014-12-05
Packaged: 2018-02-28 05:16:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2720054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwayLaughing/pseuds/AwayLaughing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life isn't what the Konoha 11 was expecting, not even after the war. Sakura finds that it's not just her job that's gone odd places however, so have her friends.</p><p>And Ino didn't even think to tell her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Struggling (It's Not Simple)

**Author's Note:**

> challenge taken from [here. Day 21 - Finishing Each Others Sentences](http://awayandlaughing.tumblr.com/post/68217772129/30-day-otp-challenge-for-the-fluff-impaired)

Sakura stepped into the bar, waving her hand in front of her nose. She'd sent Gai after Kakashi almost two hours ago – but the jōnin had never dragged the Hokage back and Genma and Raidō were curiously nowhere to be found. Still, she would not have worried if not for the fact Gai was usually so good at corralling their beloved leader.

 

If he had failed, it meant something was going on. Something more than Kakashi's hatred of paperwork.

 

Surveying the bar, she caught the bartender's eye and raised one pink eyebrow. Gai and Kakashi weren't exactly subtle people, she'd have noticed them if they were here. The bartender just gave her a small smile, jerking his thumb and mouthing _back room_. Ah.

 

“Someone's already come to try and get them out of here,” the man said as she drew closer, “but I guess it didn't pan out. He's still in there, has been for about five minutes now.”

 

That made her wince. Had Lee come around to collect his sensei? Had Lee somehow gotten embroiled in drinking? She cringed as dollar signs started appearing in her eyes – ones amounting to property damage – and picked up her pace, opening the door with less trepidation than a possibly drunk Lee warranted.

 

“This is a discussion for a more sober time,” said a deep, familiar voice. Relief swam over Sakura as she took in the sight of Hyūga Neji looming over his and her own former teachers, arms crossed and face its usual mask of disinterested annoyance. He acknowledged her with the barest of nods, “and look. Sakura is incredibly busy, and you two have dragged her away from the chance to sleep by being childish.”

 

Sakura wasn't sure getting drunk is childish, but the guilt trip worked, at least on Gai. He practically fell out of his chair trying turn to Sakura, dark eyes wide, sorrowful and slightly out of focus. Neji kept him upright. Despite the fact Gai was larger and heavier and the fact his wheelchair was bulky, didn't seem to be at all inconvenienced by it. Or even strained.

 

“I am most sorry,” he said, sounding each word out carefully. “It was most disc-disc,” he stopped, swinging his head to look at Neji. “Neji-”

 

“Discourteous,” the Hyūga said, “and yes it was. Let us get you home so I can log my report and get some sleep myself.” If the idea of keeping Sakura awake had saddened Gai, the idea of keeping Neji awake seemed to appall him on entirely new levels.

 

“Yes. Yes,” he said, “'Kashi, c'mon.” Kakashi, who was both drunker and a much less amiable drunk, didn't move. Sakura just rolled her eyes and jerked him up, ducking under his flailing arm and forcing him forward. Neji bent to undo Gai's break, only for the older man to try and get a hug out of the sudden proximity to his level. Neji wrestled with him for a moment while Kakashi whined about being taken from his saké. Finally Neji managed to convince the older jōnin to stop flailing around and jerked his head toward the back door.

 

“Gai had the good sense to at least come back here before he and our beloved leader got completely smashed,” he said and Sakura started them in a slow half shuffle-half dragging walk. Neji and Gai could have gone faster, in theory, but kept only slightly ahead of them.

 

“Small mercies,” Sakura muttered, following him into the cool night. Spring was slow to come this year, and her breath still fogged under the lamplight. “I know this wasn't his life plan but getting wasted in Konoha's scummiest bar isn't going to get him fired,” she added. Neji gave a derisive little snort that had Gai asking what was funny.

 

“Life,” Neji told his former teacher. “And our esteemed Hokage was drinking over something far pettier than his job,” he added. “Isn't that right, Gai?”

 

Gai made a noncommittal sound and Kakashi an outraged one, but both seemed to sense that Neji wasn't in a playing-nice mood. The rest of the walk to the complex Gai lived in was quiet, fingers tapping on his arm rest. Sakura got the sense it was Neji keeping the two older men from saying much of anything. About half way there, two of the Goei showed up, looking sheepish and red-faced.

 

Sakura handed Kakashi off without a word, though they both looked even more sheepish as she raised an eyebrow. She had her own job, she did not need to be doing theirs. Getting Gai into his apartment after that was both easier and harder. He kept asking where Kakashi was, but eventually they wrestled him into his bed and left some water and aspirin for him.

 

“He'll be fine in the morning,” Neji said, closing the door behind him. She felt the flare of a seal acting up, and heard the click of a lock. “I'm not entirely sure he actually knows what a hang over is.”

 

“Lucky,” she said, but eyed him. The idea that Neji knew his teacher's, or anyone's drinking habits was... it was weird. Neji was always, to her, one of the more standoffish members of their group of friends. After that first exam he'd been polite, and helpful and talented in a way she was almost jealous of, but they'd never been close.

 

She wasn't even sure why, really. He'd never really opened up to her and she'd been busy with other things, enough so that pursuing him beyond acquaintances hadn't really been all that important. Now, they were older and busier than ever and she regretted it. Maybe in the early days he'd just reminded her too much of Sasuke. Cold. Calm. Collected and uninterested.

 

“Sakura?” his deep voice drew her from her thoughts and she smiled sheepishly.

 

“I was just wondering why we never became better friends,” she said, “you were my type, after all.” It was supposed to be a joke, but she winced. Very few people would appreciate being compared to Uchiha Sasuke. She wasn't certain Neji's exact feelings on Sasuke, other than those years ago when he'd calmly suggested Sasuke was a lost cause. “I don't mean-”

 

“It's fine,” Neji said. “You're not the first person to make the comparison,” he said, “though you'll forgive me if I reject it.” She nodded hurriedly.

 

“I know you're not- I just meant than when we were younger-”

 

“Sasuke and I were both aloof and did not like anyone else,” Neji said, he offered her an almost smile. “Though I was much more actively disdainful of those around me,” he told her. “As I understand it, Sasuke's appeal was his perceived silent suffering, no?”

 

Sakura nodded, and Neji hummed. Silence fell between them, and Sakura got the distinct feeling she'd definitely gone about asking her question the wrong way. Sasuke was and always would be a sore spot for everyone, made sorer still by the fact the reasons were different for her and Naruto than everyone else. More personal. More foolish, some might say.

 

“What is your report on?” she asked, wanting to fill up the silence. Neji side eyed her, at least she was fairly certain he did, but answered.

 

“It is actually requisitions,” he said at last. “I've finally been pulled off from the refugee camps, Hokage-sama apparently feels I've trained my replacement well enough and will do better on the borders doing actual patrols and helping with nuke-nin, but I still need to justify my final requests for various items and staff.” He let out an aggravated breath, “as if it is not obvious why I'd want more than five medics in a make-shift town of almost a thousand people.”

 

Sakura nodded. She'd spent six months in the muddy camp that took in the survivors Ko no Kuni, Ame and a few smaller villages that had gotten destroyed. It had been soul crushing, knowing Konoha just couldn't provide for them all and that many of the villages were too busy keeping their smaller economies afloat to help. The fact Neji had apparently been doing work in one for almost a full year and a half, and the fact she hadn't known, made her stomach turn. How did she not notice the formidable Hyūga's lack of presence? It made her wonder who else was missing that she'd failed to take note of.

 

“I could help,” she offered, “I know most of the current medics so can help you tailor your request. If you ask for someone who's got a specialty we have several of their more likely to grant it. Especially if you just need general aid, everyone has those basics.” Neji gave her a look she could only call surprised, and bowed his head.

 

“Thank you,” he said, “is there anywhere in particular you would be most comfortable?”

 

She thought for a moment. She was currently apartment sharing with another of the medical students and a chūnin with aspirations toward ANBU. Lovely women, but if she brought Neji home with her...she flinched at the thought. The entire town would have them in bed together by 5AM. At the latest.

 

“How about the archives?” she said, “I know they're open even if they like to pretend they're not.” Neji nodded, and they shifted their course, headed toward the archives, which were open all hours though you couldn't access certain parts after seven, as that was when all but one of the staff left. Sakura liked it here. As a child the books had offered a solace, a quiet space when the life of a ninja academy student was largely loud chaos. As she got older, it had remained a harbour in a storm.

 

As such, she recognized several of the faces as they walked in. There were Aojima and Morita, two members of the fūinjutsu squad. They'd been petitioning for years to get fūinjutsu back on the main stage, practically since they were genin only a few years older than Sakura. They waved as she and Neji passed, a massive scroll covered in illegible kanji sitting between them. They also shot questioning looks at her, but she waved them off.

 

“Friends?” Neji asked once they were out of earshot and Sakura nodded.

 

“They used to help me with my homework,” she admitted. “They were in their last year of the academy when I started, and they never actually made a team, got apprenticeships instead so they were usually here when I was. Since I didn't have a clan or even shinobi parents to help,” she trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks.

 

“That was kind of them,” he said. “This is as good a place to sit as any.”

 

The table was nestled into the archives concerning most thing political. Someone was also already there, though absent. A pile of books, scrolls and an empty coffee cup sat on one corner and Sakura instinctively looked for a different option.

 

“They might not want company,” she said, “it's-”

 

“Fine, Sakura.” Shikamaru's voice spooked her, but she didn't show it other than whirling around. “I could use the company, actually.” In his hand was another cup of coffee, steaming and smelling very tempting.

 

“You're not supposed to drink in here,” she pointed out and he snorted, taking a seat and a sip.

 

“I've been bribing Yamada since I turned twelve,” he said, “a drink at one AM is well within the bounds of what she'll let me get away with.”

 

“Nara,” Neji said, sounding...amused? “You are-”

 

“Ridiculous. You've been known to point it out.”

 

“And you've not been known to amend it, I see,” Neji said, but there wasn't any of his usual cold annoyance. Had Neji and Shikamaru become friends at some point? Of course, Shikamaru had been playing liaison to the border refugee camps since the beginning, if Neji was helping to run one...

 

Sakura really needed to get tea with Ino soon. Obviously she was missing so much gossip.

 

“So what brings you two here?” Shikamaru asked. Neji had settled next to him, and Sakura settled across from them, trying not to look too gobsmacked.

 

“Requisitions,” Neji said, “I know you've done a lot getting us Fujioka-sama but we're getting nowhere with-”

 

“Kaminari because Shimazu keeps blocking all attempts to let anyone in shit Neji I'm sorry,” Shikamaru flipped through several scrolls as he muttered, tossing a few aside with the aggravation of a man who'd been awake far too long.

 

“It is fine, Shikamaru,” Neji said, stopping the younger man by reaching out, placing pale fingers on the back of one tanned hand. “Do not worry. You're juggling seven refugee camps when you should be down to five.”

 

That got Sakura to refocus on the issue at hand. “Seven? Kakkahara shut was shut down last month, that should have us down to six,” she said. Seven medics had come back from there, and no one had been redeployed. Shikamaru pulled a face.

 

“Yeah, well we had to reopen a camp about three miles down less than two weeks later,” he said. “Maeda conveniently found a way around his part of the agreement and sent about three hundred people back to us.”

 

Sakura made a disgusted noise and Neji looked no more impressed.

 

“Is that why we had those fifty people appear out of thin air last week?” Neji asked, “they were claiming floods but-”

 

“It's bullshit,” Shikamaru finished. “Tokugawa's using the yearly flooding as an excuse not to take anyone in-”

 

“Despite the fact Tensenjouchi has the oldest province wide welfare plan surrounding natural disasters in any country save Kaze,” Neji finished, rubbing his temples. “How did we get involved in this?”

 

“Bad luck,” Shikamaru said.

 

At the same time, Sakura suggested, “our stunning levels of experience despite our youth.”

 

For a moment no one spoke, and finally Shikamaru snorted.

 

“So our bad luck.”

 

Neither Sakura nor Neji could keep from laughing at that. He wasn't wrong, after all.

 

* * *

 

It was nearing three o'clock when they finally packed up. Sakura could barely keep her eyes open, or so it seemed to her and not even the cold outside fully jerked her awake. She knew Shikamaru was still living at home, and so lived in the same direction. She had no clue where Neji lived, but was surprised when he kept in the same direction as them.

 

Still, she was too tired to interrogate him, and figured it made sense he'd leave clan lands. Neji wasn't exactly enthusiastic about his family. Clan. Whatever. Was he paying rent somewhere, though? It didn't make sense, financially speaking, if he'd been largely in refugee camps since the war ended. Maybe he was staying with Lee.

 

Or _Tenten_.

 

That thought lodged itself so thoroughly she almost missed when Shikamaru turned to leave.

 

“-as well,” he was saying to Neji. “Unless you really want to walk back across the village, though it sounds awfully-”

 

“Troublesome?”

 

“Got it in one,” Shikamaru said. “And don't even start about putting mom out. I think she likes you more than she likes me.”

 

“ _I_ am helpful,” Neji said. “But your mother loves you plenty.”

 

“Like and love are not the same thing,” Shikamaru said. “You want us to keep you company on your walk home?” he asked, and it took Sakura a moment to realize he meant her.

 

“What? No. I'm actually just the next street over,” she said. “You guys...are both going to your house?”

 

Shikamaru shrugged, “how about it?” Neji seemed to be considering it. “I'll make you breakfast.”

 

“Now you're bribing me to stay over?” Neji asked, “if I didn't know better I'd say you're the one who likes me.”

 

Shikamaru shot him an amused look. “I make breakfast anyway these days so it's not much of a bribe. But something like that,” he said. “We'll catch you around Sakura, don't be such a stranger.”

 

“Uh yeah,” she said, waving them off.

 

She really, really needed to talk to Ino. After sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff challenge???? What????
> 
> So yeah. Not my fluffiest but I wanted to establish that more in this AU is AU than just Neji's vital signs. My version of the war and what happens therein and after are _wildly_ different.
> 
> Some day, I will write about that. But not this day.
> 
> AN: edited to incorporate the fact Gai was left in a wheelchair, a part of the epilogue I don't mind keeping.


End file.
